Big Tree

At dawn the next day, Zhang Laifu was woken by shouting.

"Get up! Who said you could sleep here?"

When Zhang Laifu opened his eyes, he saw two people in uniform berating the beggar across from him.

The beggar grinned. "Sirs, I'm a beggar. Sleeping on a patch of ground isn't against the law, is it?"

The two in uniform were patrolmen, the first Zhang Laifu had ever seen.

One Patrolman shouted at the beggar, "The Marshal's coming to Heishakou in the next few days. We've got orders to keep the streets looking respectable. Get lost, all of you!"

The other Patrolman shouted at Zhang Laifu, "Who are you?"

Zhang Laifu tensed. He was an Outer Province native, and the moment he opened his mouth, his accent might give him away.

Before he could speak, the beggar answered for him. "He came with me. We're both beggars. What else would he be?"

The Patrolman could not be bothered to ask more. "Get moving!"

Once they had left the space beneath the bridge, Zhang Laifu hurried to thank the beggar.

The beggar ignored him. He wiped at the wounds on his face, turned, and walked away.

Judging by his limp, he must have been badly hurt.

Had He Yunxi done that to him?

First he'd beaten up the bun seller, then the beggar?

Was his temper really that bad?

And where had He Yunxi gone?

Zhang Laifu now had seven Copper Dollars, which gave him a little more confidence.

He spent one Copper Dollar on a Bowl of tofu pudding to fill his stomach, then another on a map to get his bearings in Heishakou.

Heishakou was a city. The Black Sand River ran through it and joined the Vast Han River to the south.

Where the two rivers met, Heishakou had become one of Wansheng Province's river transport hubs.

The city was sizable. Walking all the way out of Heishakou would be far too difficult, so taking a boat seemed the sensible choice.

The map marked every wharf in the city. After asking several passersby, Zhang Laifu settled on Fish-Tendon Wharf.

The wharf was fairly secluded, with mostly small boats and relatively cheap fares. Zhang Laifu headed toward it, but as he entered an alley, he suddenly saw the Zhu You practitioner Li Yunsheng standing in the middle of it.

"Enemies meet on a narrow road!" Li Yunsheng stood with his hands behind his back, smiling at Zhang Laifu.

"The road isn't narrow. It's quite wide." Zhang Laifu stared back at Li Yunsheng with his vacant eyes.

That fixed stare was rather unsettling.

"It gets narrow when you run into me. I hold grudges." Li Yunsheng had no intention of letting Zhang Laifu pass.

Zhang Laifu shook his head. "I don't hold grudges. Let's call it settled."

"You don't hold grudges?" Li Yunsheng froze for a moment. "What right have you to hold a grudge? What grievance do you have against me?"

Zhang Laifu thought it over carefully too. "You're right. I have no grievance against you, so why is the road narrow?"

"That... it's because..." Li Yunsheng pressed his lips together. "Stop twisting my words. Let's settle what happened yesterday."

"I'm not twisting anything. I mean it. I'll pay you." Zhang Laifu took out three Copper Dollars and offered them to Li Yunsheng.

He had only five Copper Dollars left in all, and still needed to flee and eat. Offering three was a considerable gesture of sincerity.

Li Yunsheng accepted the coins and frowned. "I'm a Craftsman, you know? I can earn several Silver Dollars in a day, you know? Offering me this to make me go away is an insult, you know?"

Zhang Laifu felt his pocket. "But I can't offer any more."

Li Yunsheng looked at the mud and water covering Zhang Laifu. He held the three Copper Dollars in his fist and gave them a shake. "How about this? I trust my luck. I'll toss these three coins. If they all land heads up, we'll call the matter settled. If even one lands tails up, we'll have more to discuss."

As he spoke, Li Yunsheng tossed the three Copper Dollars into the air, caught them in his hand, and opened it. All three were heads up.

Li Yunsheng looked up at Zhang Laifu, startled by his luck.

He was about to toss them again when Zhang Laifu held out his hand, offering his last two Copper Dollars and a handful of copper cash. "This is all I have left. Can we call it settled?"

Li Yunsheng's brow furrowed. "It isn't about the money. What you did yesterday was rotten!"

All three Copper Dollars had come up heads, so the matter was settled. Li Yunsheng refused Zhang Laifu's money and pushed all of it back to him, including the first three coins.

But Zhang Laifu insisted on giving it to him. As the two pushed it back and forth, the money fell to the ground.

That looked rather humiliating for Zhang Laifu, and Li Yunsheng felt awkward too.

Zhang Laifu did not mind the humiliation. He bent to pick up the money, but Li Yunsheng stopped him.

Li Yunsheng stared at the Copper Dollars and copper cash on the ground for a long while.

The five Copper Dollars lay in a row, like a tree trunk.

The dozen or so copper coins were scattered around its top, like a lush crown of leaves.

Strangest of all, every copper coin lay faceup. Li Yunsheng crouched there studying them for a long time, then looked up at Zhang Laifu and said two words: "Big Tree."

Zhang Laifu shook his head. "My name isn't Big Tree."

Li Yunsheng picked up the Copper Dollars and copper cash and handed them to Zhang Laifu. "It's easy to find shade with your back against a big tree! Friend, come have some tea at my place."

Li Yunsheng lived in that alley, and he invited Zhang Laifu into his home.

"The place is humble. Sorry I can't offer you better hospitality."

"Humble" was mere politeness. Li Yunsheng had a house and courtyard of his own, with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a storeroom. To Zhang Laifu, who had just spent the night beneath a bridge, such living conditions were beyond his wildest dreams.

Li Yunsheng boiled water, brewed tea, and set out snacks. "Li Yunsheng is my real name. You saw it on my sign. I still don't know what to call you, my friend."

Zhang Laifu answered frankly, "I'm Zhang Laifu. The fu means 'good fortune.'"

"Brother Laifu, you picked that quarrel with me on Pearl Street yesterday to escape a Pingtan singer, didn't you?"

"You noticed?" Zhang Laifu was astonished. Old Zheng had hidden so well yesterday that even Zhang Laifu had not known where he was.

"Don't underestimate me, Brother Zhang. I'm a Craftsman too. That man was singing Pingtan through pursed lips to draw you along. You provoked me for no reason because you wanted a chance to get away." Li Yunsheng scraped the lid against his tea Bowl, looking absentminded, yet every word struck the mark.

Admiration lit Zhang Laifu's vacant eyes. He could not help exclaiming, "Craftsmen really are amazing."

"Brother Laifu, will that Pingtan singer come after you again?"

"He definitely will. He's a bandit from Hunlong Stronghold. They're a hard lot to shake."

Li Yunsheng set down his tea bowl, picked up his fan, and assessed the situation for Zhang Laifu. "Of the bandits in the hills around Heishakou, Hunlong Stronghold is the most powerful. That Pingtan singer was fairly restrained. Some of their bolder bandits would even dare kill someone in the street. Brother Laifu, now that you've crossed them, you're in for trouble."

Zhang Laifu thought so too. "That's why I want to leave Heishakou and find a way to make a living elsewhere."

"Have you decided where to go?"

"Not yet."

Li Yunsheng thought for a long time, then suggested a route. "If you don't want to go far, you could head south to Miedaolink. A fast boat will get you there in a day.

"Miedaolink isn't big, and food and lodging don't cost much. But it's close to Heishakou, so there's no telling whether Hunlong Stronghold's people might come looking for you."

Zhang Laifu considered this, then asked, "Is there anywhere else I could go?"

Li Yunsheng thought for another good while. "If safety is your priority, I'd suggest Lingluo City, Yuxiuran, or Baiyao Port. They're all large cities with much better security. The bandits certainly won't follow you there. But living in a big city costs more, so you'll need to find a good livelihood, Brother Zhang."

The mention of a livelihood troubled Zhang Laifu. He had no idea what kind of work he could do here.

"I know construction. I ought to be able to find a job, right?"

"That depends on your trade, Brother Zhang. Are you a carpenter?"

"Not exactly..."

"A stonemason?"

"No."

"A bricklayer?"

"Not—"

Li Yunsheng studied Zhang Laifu carefully. "Brother Zhang, have you ever built a house?"

Zhang Laifu puffed out his chest. "I'm a professional. I really did study it!"

"By 'professional,' do you mean you majored in civil engineering in Outer Province?"

Zhang Laifu fell silent for a moment, then answered proudly, "Yes!"

Li Yunsheng nodded repeatedly. "No wonder you speak a little differently, Brother Zhang. You received higher education in Outer Province."

Zhang Laifu smiled modestly. "You flatter me, Brother Li."

Li Yunsheng waved his fan. "No need to be modest, Brother Zhang. Wansheng Province doesn't have much need for civil engineering graduates at present."

Wansheng Province didn't need civil engineers?

Zhang Laifu refused to accept that. "Don't people in Wansheng Province need houses built?"

Li Yunsheng explained, "Of course they need houses built, but that work belongs to Craftsmen. The carpenters, stonemasons, and bricklayers I mentioned all do it. If you're not a Craftsman, at most you could work as someone's apprentice.

"And you can't become an apprentice just by asking. You'd need at least three years of training. A civil engineering degree from Outer Province doesn't count."

Wansheng Province was far too unusual. Whether it was fighting or earning money, craftsmen were the ones who could make their way anywhere.

"Brother Li, I want to be a Craftsman too. Who should I ask to take me as an apprentice?" Zhang Laifu would not mind studying for three years, but he did not want to be an errand-running apprentice.

Li Yunsheng shook his head again and again. "Craftsmen aren't taught. They're grown. It depends on whether you have a Bowl."

P.S. I have a Bowl! I'm someone with a Bowl!